Anti Hero Is Not A Curse Word?

Hearing of the word hero brings to my mind a good looking man with some qualities of fair, equal, courage, brave, honest and a positive leader. This makes the opposite a villain a person who wishes wrong for someone or a person who creates evil. The event changes dramatically, a hero of the past may not be considered a hero in the present and versa. Hernando Cortes a hero for joining two worlds and conquering the most powerful civilization of America or Hernando Cortes a villain for making the Aztec Empire disappear. Hernando Cortez was an important symbol for the explorations, but killing people, ending the most powerful civilization in America and spreading diseases does not makes him a hero. With

So, who is the villain-hero? This villain may start out at the beginning of the story as a hero, or he may possess heroic characteristics, such as charisma, or he may have a

There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light?

“What, exactly, does “antihero” mean? Merriam-Webster traces its first appearance back to 1714 and murkily defines it as “a protagonist or notable figure who is considerably lacking in heroic qualities.” Charles Bartholomew Joseph "Chuck" Bass is a fictional character in the novel and television show Gossip Girl. Chuck Bass is known as the show 's antihero. For example, he cheats, lies or uses the power of money to make his friends happy or get what they want. He isn’t the traditional anti-heroic because he is more relatable to people. His character traits have changed since starting in the first episode to the last episode in season six. During season one Chuck was shy, and unlikeable. Also, he is considered the bad boy. He was only interested in girls, himself and money. In an episode, he says “Why should I be… an usher? I’m Chuck Bass.” This is an example of how his unlikable personality came across to others. Then by the end of the third season he shows us a sensitive side. By the third season, Chuck shows a nicer side and is likable. We see him make a few big and thoughtful gesture to his queen bee girlfriend, for example, surprising her with her dream dress for prom.

Hero. Hero comes from the greek word heros meaning “A person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage, in the face of danger.” Growing up we have always read stories about heroes coming to save the day; for instance, Captain America. Being that our whole lives we were mostly exposed to heroism, have you ever asked yourself what is the opposite of a hero? A villain is the opposite of a hero, but their is another opposite form of a hero; a tragic hero. A Tragic hero is “A literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic hero as defined by Aristotle”). For instance, in the play written by Sophocles Antigone, the tragic hero is Creon. Creon who is Antigone’s

We often believe that the protagonist of a story is a hero and possesses heroic qualities such as moral goodness, courage and selflessness. However, this is not true for every story. A story can have a protagonist who is an anti-hero: someone who lacks the traditional qualities of a hero. Anti-heroes are defined in three ways: The Satanic anti-hero, a character who seeks an evil goal through evil means, the Promethean anti-hero, someone who seeks a worthy goal but by unethical means, and the Byronic anti-hero, a character who has undefined goals and are to be achieved through questionable means, in which this character is often unpredictable mysterious, moody, and self-destructive. Both Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth and Pink from the film, Pink Floyd – The Wall, are both anti-heroes. More specifically, Macbeth is classified as a satanic anti-hero who seeks the goal to become king and Pink is a Byronic anti-hero, who has no clear goal other than to escape the ‘wall’ he is trapped in. Some similarities these two characters share are that they are both privileged (with Macbeth being a well-praised warrior and Pink being a famous musician), are supported by corrupting influences and rationalize their worse deeds as needing to preserve their own safety. Although Macbeth and Pink share similar characteristics, I would assert, because of Pink’s childhood traumas, that Pink deserves more sympathy than Macbeth.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman—what do all these characters have in common? They are all products of the human aspiration to be saved. The word hero is passed around too much these days. A hero is not a football player that scores the game-winning touchdown or the goaltender who saves his team from a loss. A hero is usually an ordinary person that did extraordinary things. A true hero is really never a hero at all; at least not in their own mind. However, there are various cases today in which we see the exact opposites of these characters, the anti-heroes. The anti-hero is one who cannot be classified as a hero, for that said character lacks natural heroic qualities. However, the anti-hero cannot be described as a villain either.

Their personal tendencies reflect anger and an untouchable attitude. They are required to upset the balance, immerse themselves into situations, and are portrayed as protagonists in literature realism. Kesey has exhibited McMurphy with flaws and realistic features. Anti- heroes wear their scars, and have many imperfections not only on the surface but also beneath. McMurphy’s visible scars show he has not lived a perfect life, immediately it is detectable he is not one to hold himself back from situations, even if violence is involved. Whilst looking at physical flaws and violent attributes, the anti- hero Deadpool is comparable to McMurphy. Both characters are visibly flawed, but have behavioral similarities such as their boisterous behavior, upsetting the balance and often causing chaos, callous behaviour to those on their opposing side but will not harm the innocent , and often having unpredictable actions. McMurphy’s and Deadpool’s rebellious actions and tendencies to push the limits too far, often placing them in strife. Deadpool was used as a torturous experiment deforming his body before he initially began his role as an anti- hero, where as McMurphy received his shock treatment and frontal lobotomy as a result of being an anti- hero. Although each anti- heroes story had alternative outcomes, their physical and emotional flaws relate them to one

A hero is someone admired for their courage, achievements, and/or idealized qualities, however; a movie can also portray an anti-hero. An anti-hero is a central character in which lacks conventional heroic characteristics. In every movie, book, or in reality every hero has their ups and downs. Many people undergo many hardships to become a hero. There are many stages a hero has to overcome such as: Separation, Initiation, and Return.

The Merriam dictionary defines a villain as a character in a story who opposes the hero and is blamed for a particular evil or difficulty. At this point in history our American government was a hero and Aaron Burr opposed the US government. Aaron Burr’s personal life did not reflect his public/political life. He might have been a loyal father, but not a loyal American. From a U.S historical perspective Burr was a villain because his plan of separation of the West and East was particular evil to the eyes of the government (87).

In the reading, “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes” by Stephen Garrett, he points out that anti-heroes are becoming more popular than the traditional hero. Garrett states, “the word hero is abused in the news, the sports reports, and even in conversation” (318). For example tabloids recognize someone who battles a drug addiction and overcomes it or a substitute kicker for the football game kick the winning field goal (318). You see he argues that traditional heroes are “boring” and that there are no longer any more real heroes (318-321). Anti-heroes are characters or people who are just evil but still get the viewers to like

Anti-heroes do not solely exist in the fictional world. There are people in the real world, everyday who fit the anti-hero description. They are… the Mob. In ancient times loyalty was purest form of respect. It was a way of life. One was loyal to his or her family, govern, king, and God. Hand in hand with loyalty, comes the right to revenge. The Mob is one of the few “societies” that has reserved that tradition. For example: when a family member is assassinated, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the surviving family to avenge that death. This loyalty to one’s own, coupled with the fierce determination to protect them, are incredibly heroic qualities. Organized crime families are oohed and ahhed by the press and pop culture, and have their own fans. While these people are not ideal role models, they possess heroic qualities worthy of aspiration.

In all cases considered, the villain usually reigns over the hero of the story, and as he may seem fearless, he is a coward hidden within himself. Never is a villain positioned lowly in a story, because the purpose is to have an imbalance between good and evil to show that even when evil is dominant, good still conquers.

The original hero archetype greatly contrasts the modern anti-hero archetype. A hero is someone who displays little to no flaws and is widely liked by the majority. This character presents its storyline with exceptional traits. The anti-hero archetype is completely opposite of the hero archetype. “Unlike the traditional hero who is morally upright and steadfast, the anti-hero usually has a flawed moral character” (Michael). Modern anti-heroes lack in grace, power, and social success (Neimneh). They deal with issues and insecurities such as alcoholism and infidelity (Michael). Anti-heroes make unpleasant moral compromises, in contrast to the desired, in order to reach something. They want to create order where it is impossible and put the protagonist to ‘justice’. Traditional hero characters often succeed when trying to complete their quests, which contrasts the extremely grimm success rate of anti-hero victory. Anti-heroes also do not let their inner thoughts influence their actions while original or traditional heroes seek self-definition (Teleky). Traditional hero characters often succeed when trying to complete their quests, which contrasts the extremely grimm success rate of anti-hero victory. The faultless ways of the hero archetype sets it apart from people in society, making it extremely unrelatable to the mass amount of humans today, allowing the anti-hero archetype to prevail through.

An anti hero is said to have flaws, he is gritty, and he often looks for redemption or for his own revenge satisfaction and sometimes for the greater good of society. One more significant point is that unlike tragic hero who thinks of what is a right or a moral thing to do at times, an anti hero does what appears to be right to him. He is often misunderstood by the society; he could perhaps be called as a noble criminal or a vigilante and their mostly motives are fulfilled by breaking the law a.k.a “the ends justify the means”. The last characteristic of an anti hero is his increased moral complexities and rejection of traditional